NEW YORK — A Cleveland Browns defensive back is recovering at home after being attacked by a group of four men in a Manhattan hotel lobby during the early morning hours on Monday.
Ronnie Hickman, a 24-year-old safety for the Browns, sustained minor injuries in the assault and received medical treatment before being discharged, according to team officials. The player is now resting with his family as he recovers from the incident.
New York City police responded to an emergency call at 4:35 a.m. Monday regarding an assault taking place in a hotel lobby, according to law enforcement officials.
“Upon arrival, officers were informed that four unidentified individuals punched a 24-year-old male about the body following a verbal dispute,” police said. “The suspects fled the location in an unknown direction.”
The investigation remains active, and authorities have not made any arrests in connection with the attack, the New York Police Department confirmed in their official statement.
Hickman joined the Browns as an undrafted free agent after completing his college career at Ohio State University. During his three-year NFL tenure, he has appeared in 41 games and compiled impressive defensive statistics, including 173 total tackles, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery.
Team captain Marie-Philip Poulin etched her name in Olympic history Monday, netting two goals to propel Canada into the women’s ice hockey championship game with a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in Milan.
The triumph marks Canada’s eighth straight appearance in an Olympic women’s hockey final, maintaining their perfect record of reaching the title game since the sport debuted at the Winter Games. Poulin’s performance was particularly notable as she shattered the all-time Olympic women’s scoring record, tallying her 19th and 20th career goals.
Thursday’s gold medal contest will pit the defending Olympic champions against their longtime rivals from the United States, as Canada seeks their sixth Olympic title against a youthful American squad.
Switzerland managed to find the net once through forward Rahel Enzler in the opening minutes of the final period, but couldn’t overcome Canada’s offensive dominance. The Canadians peppered the Swiss goal with 46 shots compared to just eight for their opponents.
The bronze medal will be decided Thursday when Switzerland takes on Sweden.
Despite missing the final two preliminary round contests due to a knee problem, Poulin showed no signs of rust at Santagiulia arena. The player known as “Captain Clutch” broke through after a goalless opening frame to make Olympic history.
Her record-setting 19th Olympic goal came via a skillful slap shot that bounced off the ice surface and sailed over Swiss goaltender Andrea Braendli’s equipment, surpassing fellow Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser’s previous milestone and igniting celebrations among the maple leaf supporters in attendance.
Poulin wasn’t finished there, adding her second tally less than seven minutes afterward by jamming home a rebound while diving toward the net during a scramble in front of the goal.
The Canadian star found herself in penalty trouble four minutes later after delivering a hard check on Swiss player Laura Zimmermann along the boards, but escaped a major infraction that could have significantly impacted the outcome, serving only a two-minute minor penalty.
While Switzerland had stunned hockey powerhouse Finland in the quarterfinal round, they couldn’t sustain that upset magic against Canada. Enzler’s goal, set up by teammate Alina Muller in the third period’s early stages, provided only a brief moment of optimism for the Swiss cause.
Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez ended his live batting practice session early on Monday after experiencing elbow discomfort, team manager Derek Shelton confirmed to reporters.
Lopez was working out at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida, the team’s spring training facility, as he prepares to represent Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic next month. The right-handed pitcher completed more than two innings facing live batters before the session was cut short.
During his third simulated inning, Lopez felt discomfort after delivering his second pitch and immediately stopped throwing. The 30-year-old pitcher, who celebrates his birthday on March 7, is set to undergo medical imaging to assess the extent of the problem as he enters his ninth major league season and fourth year with Minnesota.
“I mean, obviously, it’s February 16, and I think he and (pitching coach Pete Maki) had a little bit of a conversation on the second pitch he threw during the third up and felt some soreness,” Shelton told reporters. “And after he and Pete talked, we decided, out of an abundance of caution, let’s get him off, let’s get him off the field and make sure he’s OK. So, you know, we will have more information. We’ll get some imaging on it, just because of how important it is and he is to us.”
Lopez has been a reliable starter for Minnesota, making 32 starts in each season from 2022 through 2024. However, he faced multiple injury challenges in 2025, landing on the injured list three separate times due to a hamstring problem, a muscle issue in his throwing shoulder, and a forearm strain. Despite these setbacks, he posted a 5-4 record with a 2.74 ERA across 14 starts, pitching 75 2/3 innings.
“I don’t know if anybody in that room takes care of himself as well as Pablo does, not only during the season, but in the offseason,” Shelton said of Lopez, who has been Minnesota’s opening day starter for the past three seasons. “And the fact that he has awareness of his body, and he and Pete have a strong relationship, and we’re able to have a conversation. It was like, OK, let’s hold off and take a look here and kind of move on from that.”
Throughout his eight-year career split between the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins, Lopez has compiled a 59-53 record with a 3.81 ERA across 172 starts. He has recorded 994 strikeouts while allowing 251 walks over 965 innings pitched. The veteran pitcher is currently in the third year of a four-year contract worth $73.5 million that he signed in 2023.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – The Swedish women’s curling team maintained their flawless Olympic performance Monday, securing a challenging 6-4 victory over Switzerland to extend their winning streak to six consecutive matches and solidify their lead in the round-robin tournament.
Led by skip Anna Hasselborg, Sweden faced their most difficult challenge yet against Switzerland’s team, captained by Silvana Tirinzoni. The Swiss squad enters the Olympics as four-time world champions, making this matchup particularly significant.
“We know they were the team to beat,” Hasselborg commented after the victory. The Swedish skip previously captured gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and earned bronze in Beijing four years later.
“They’ve had an amazing season and we haven’t played them this year, but they have played so well. So we just wanted to go out there and play the other rock colour and just make our shots,” Hasselborg explained. “We were playing well and we were like, and we went pretty hard, like offensive and made a lot of good draws today.”
Switzerland quickly recovered from their loss, defeating Britain’s team led by Sophie Jackson with a commanding 10-6 victory during the evening session. The Swiss team now holds joint-second place in the standings alongside the United States, skippered by Tabitha Peterson, and South Korea, led by Gim Eun-ji. All three teams have recorded four victories against two defeats.
Canada demonstrated significant improvement throughout Monday’s competition, first overwhelming China 10-5 for their second tournament victory, then following up with a 9-6 triumph over Japan to strengthen their playoff positioning.
“I think every game we’ve seen us play better and better as the event’s gone on and we just have to keep going the way we are,” stated Canadian skip Rachel Homan.
Despite Canada’s status as two-time world champions and pre-tournament gold medal favorites, Homan carries a disappointing Olympic history. She has competed in the previous two Games but failed to qualify for the semifinals on both occasions.
The Canadian team currently sits in joint-fifth position with Denmark, having won three of their six matches.
Host nation Italy finally broke through for their inaugural tournament victory after suffering five consecutive defeats, defeating the United States 7-2 to the enthusiasm of supporters at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
“We really had a good performance this evening,” said Italian skip Stefania Constantini, who captured bronze in mixed doubles competition last week with partner Amos Mosaner. “We were in control of the ice. We really worked good with the teamwork to put every stone in the right position. It’s good to finally have a win.”
Canada’s women’s hockey team captain Marie-Philip Poulin made Olympic history Monday, establishing a new all-time scoring record for women’s hockey at the Games during her country’s semifinal matchup with Switzerland in Milan.
Known by her nickname “Captain Clutch,” the veteran athlete netted her record-breaking 19th Olympic goal in the second period at Santagiulia arena. Her slap shot ricocheted off the ice surface before sailing over Swiss goaltender Andrea Braendli’s leg pad, giving Canada a 1-0 advantage and surpassing the previous mark held by fellow Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser.
The milestone moment was just the beginning for Poulin, who secured her 20th Olympic goal fewer than seven minutes afterward. She managed to flip the puck into the net while diving toward the goal, further cementing her historic performance.
The five-time Olympic competitor had been sidelined during Canada’s final two preliminary round contests due to a knee injury sustained in Milan. She made her return to action during Canada’s dominant 5-1 quarterfinal victory over Germany on Saturday, where she equaled Wickenheiser’s longstanding record with her first goal of the Milano Cortina Games.
The reigning Olympic champions are pursuing their sixth gold medal in women’s hockey.
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge shared the same concerns as many of the team’s supporters during the offseason, watching anxiously as prominent free agents continued joining other organizations.
“It was brutal,” Judge remarked on Monday following the team’s initial complete roster practice session. “Early on it was pretty tough to watch. I’m like: Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and get the right people.”
The team leader discussed various topics at length, including the absence of a championship trophy despite earning his third American League MVP honor, his performance against 22-year-old pitcher Carlos Lagrange during practice, his role leading Team USA in the forthcoming World Baseball Classic, and the elbow ailment that affected him last season.
Judge was sidelined for 10 contests from July 25 through August 5 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, which occurred while making a defensive throw from right field during a game in Toronto on July 22. He remained away from outfield duties until September 5 and threw cautiously at just 67.9 mph. While Judge regained some arm power throughout the remainder of the campaign, he never reached complete recovery.
“I’ve never dealt with any elbow stuff, so I was definitely concerned,” he stated.
Judge remained uncertain about avoiding surgical intervention until after the playoff run concluded.
“They ran all the checks again and did all the tests and they said: ‘You’re good to go,’” he recalled. “And I said: All right, when can we start throwing? So it was good. It was great. It was great to hear those words so that now I can go into the offseason and just prepare the way I need to be in the best shape to start the year.”
His elbow has returned to complete strength.
“Throwing to bases a couple of times already, so no worries,” he explained. “Just excited to get back out there and just have the confidence, especially — that was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me were working their butt off and then the ball was hit to me and I had no shot.”
Judge, who will celebrate his 34th birthday in April, captured his third AL MVP award in four seasons, joining an exclusive group as only the fourth major league player to reach 50 home runs four separate times, alongside Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. He claimed his first AL batting championship with a league-leading .331 average, along with 53 home runs, 114 RBIs, an AL-best 124 walks, and a major league-topping 1.144 OPS. During postseason play, he performed well with 13 hits in 36 at-bats, including one homer, seven RBIs, and a 1.273 OPS.
During Monday’s workout, Judge seemed to send a ball over the left field wall against a 99.3 mph pitch from Lagrange (pronounced La-GRAN-he), but later struck out against a 102.6 mph fastball from the 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher, who finished last season at the Double-A level.
The Yankees, pursuing their first championship since 2009, secured center fielder Trent Grisham early in the offseason but delayed making significant additions until recently.
“Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better,” Judge commented. “They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’re sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.”
When asked if he communicated his concerns to Yankees management, Judge displayed a wide smile and responded: “Yeah, oh, yeah.”
“It was frustrating, but I think we’re right where we need to be,” he concluded.
The president of FIFA officially picked up his Lebanese passport during a ceremony at Beirut’s Interior Ministry on Monday, several months after Lebanon’s president approved his citizenship application.
Gianni Infantino, whose wife Lina al-Ashkar is a Lebanese national, expressed gratitude to President Joseph Aoun during their meeting at the ministry. The FIFA leader completed standard procedures including submitting paperwork, posing for photos, and providing fingerprints before officials presented him with his new blue Lebanese travel document.
The soccer executive now holds triple citizenship, as he also maintains passports from Italy and Switzerland.
Speaking in footage broadcast by Lebanese television networks, Infantino expressed his joy about the milestone. “I’m very proud and very happy to be here in Beirut at the Ministry of Interior to finally get my Lebanese passport,” he stated. “I love Lebanon.”
The citizenship approval represents an unusual departure from standard Lebanese regulations. Typically, Lebanese women cannot transfer their nationality to foreign spouses or their children under the country’s legal framework. However, President Aoun created a special exemption for Infantino and extended citizenship privileges to his family members as well.
In contrast, Lebanese men who marry foreign women can automatically grant their nationality to any children, while their wives may qualify for citizenship following a specified marriage duration.
FIFA serves as the worldwide governing organization for professional soccer.
The French Ice Hockey Federation announced Monday that defender Pierre Crinon has been removed from the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament following an altercation during France’s match against Canada.
The incident occurred with seven minutes remaining in France’s crushing 10-2 defeat on Sunday, when Crinon got into a physical confrontation with Canada’s Tom Wilson. Both athletes received two-minute roughing penalties plus 25-minute fighting penalties, as fighting is banned in Olympic competition.
Following the on-ice incident, Crinon was questioned by Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, who serves as the French Ice Hockey Federation president and deputy chef de mission for France’s Olympic delegation.
Although the International Ice Hockey Federation chose not to impose additional penalties on either player, French officials were particularly upset with Crinon’s conduct as he exited the rink after his ejection.
According to the French federation’s official statement: “The provocative behaviour of Pierre Crinon when he left the ice, even though he had just been excluded from the match for a fight, constitutes a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.”
The statement continued: “The decision was therefore taken, in full alignment with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to allow his participation in the next match/matches of the Olympic tournament.”
France concluded Group A play without earning any points and now faces Germany in Tuesday’s playoff round. The victor of that matchup will move on to face Slovakia in the quarterfinals.
LIVIGNO, ITALY – Canadian skier Megan Oldham claimed the top spot on the podium in Monday’s women’s freestyle skiing big air competition at the Winter Olympics.
The victory came as Eileen Gu of China, who previously held the title as defending champion, secured second place with a silver medal finish. Rounding out the medal winners was Italy’s Flora Tabanelli, who earned the bronze medal in third place.
The competition took place in Livigno, Italy, marking another exciting moment in Winter Olympic freestyle skiing events.
